


Head of Pediatrics

by StarrAngelofNarnia



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angela and Ben have a daughter, Angela is a mom, Asthma, Background Relationships, Childcare, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Doctor & Patient - Freeform, Emmett is a doctor, Hurt/Comfort, Medical Inaccuracies, Medical Procedures, Mother-Daughter Relationship, No Smut, Other, Pediatrics, Revised Version, Sick Character, child quirks, improved version, medical needles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:28:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27744502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarrAngelofNarnia/pseuds/StarrAngelofNarnia
Summary: Faith Cheney, Angela and Ben's daughter is rushed to the Seattle E.R. after an emergency at school. When she is admitted for the night, Angela hopes that whoever her daughter's doctor might be, they'll be able to take care of her, despite her daughter's fears.I’ve written stories about both Jasper and Edward as doctors, but what would Emmett be like as a doctor? Well with his personality, I think he would make the perfect pediatrician.
Relationships: Angela Weber & Original Female Character(s), Ben Cheney/Angela Weber, Emmett Cullen & Angela Weber, Emmett Cullen & Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is an updated rewrite of a previous written story, posted to Fanfiction.net as Pediatrics. The point of view will change with each new chapter. 
> 
> Faith is my own character, I just wanted some familiar characters to have a child and Angela seemed perfect. This is based loosely on my own experiences with Asthma. And I really love Emmett in this role.

I sat in the hospital waiting room not-so-patiently waiting for news from the ER. My baby girl had been rushed to the Emergency Room in an ambulance by her Kindergarten teacher and I was an anxious mess. I was usually quite calm and collected, but between waiting for my husband Ben to free himself from work and waiting for my daughter and her teacher to come out of the test she’d been sent for, my demeanor wasn’t holding up. Waiting was awful, but waiting by myself, knowing my baby was suffering, was horrible. I had actually taken up pacing across the waiting room by the time the doctor came out.

“Mrs. Cheney,” he greeted with a firm handshake. “Your daughter is stable now. I suspect she experienced an asthma attack, but we did a chest x-ray and pulmonary function test to be sure. She also has a sinus infection which needs to be treated, so we’re going to keep her here for a few days. Dr. McCarty is going to take care of her on the pediatrics floor.” I recognized the name, but I couldn’t put a finger on where I had heard it. Perhaps it was someone I knew from high school. I sent a quick text to my best friend Bella to see if she recognized the name. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll let you swap in with her teacher. She’s anxious to see you.”

When he brought me through the double doors, I saw my Faith sitting cross-legged in a wheelchair that was way too big for her. She had already been dressed in a child sized hospital gown and I could tell just by looking at her that something was definitely off. “Mommy!” she cried, as she saw me approach. She reached out her arms and I carefully knelt down to kiss her cheek.

“I’m here, baby. It’s gonna be okay.” I said my quick thanks to her teacher before entering the elevator with the transport assistant who was pushing Faith’s wheelchair. We rode up 4 floors in silence, Faith clutching my hand for dear life and I wished more than anything that I could take her place. The elevator doors opened, and we stepped out onto a floor of the hospital that looked nothing like the rest of it. The tiles on the floor were bright pastel colors unlike the plain white tile in the rest of the hospital. The walls of the hallways were painted to look like a fairy tale forest and on the way to the room Faith would be staying in, we passed a decent sized playroom with furniture and structures that made it look like a castle. Each room was decorated with a different theme.

Faith was wheeled into a room that was decorated with Sofia the First, which I knew would make my six-year-old very happy. A young nurse, wearing red scrub pants and an Elmo scrub top was already in the room. She helped the transport assistant get Faith into the bed and once she was situated, the transport assistant dismissed herself right as the doctor walked in. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket, but it would have to wait for now.

I was surprised to see Emmett McCarty in a pair of black scrubs, a lab coat, and a stethoscope around his neck, the stethoscope having a cover over it that looked like a giraffe’s neck. Yet at the same time, I couldn’t think of anyone better to take care of kids. Emmett had graduated in the class before me, but we still knew each other because his sister was one of my best friends all through high school. He had always been silly and easy going, but on top of that he was wicked smart. And if anyone was going to be able to take care of Faith, they were going to need those qualities. I knew from being a first grade teacher that the best way to handle kids was to be silly and light hearted. And Faith didn’t want to hurt any of the doctors or nurses here. She was just scared.

Emmett, or Dr. McCarty rather, smiled at me warmly before turning to Faith. I prayed that he would be able to get her some medications without leaving the hospital covered in bruises. I sat down in the chair at the end of the bed and quickly checked the message on my phone. It was Bella.

“Oh yeah! That’s my brother Emmett, silly!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Emmett's Point of View, so it's a bit lengthier.
> 
> Emmett's bedside manner is what Pediatrics would look like if doctors were better trained in child development. 
> 
> So it might be helpful to acknowledge that I'm writing from the perspective of a professional in child development. Which is why Emmett is a rockstar here. 
> 
> Enjoy. Kudos + comments = Love

I headed down the hallway to the room that had been assigned to my newest in-patient, Faith Cheney. I recognized the last name but I wasn’t sure why. Of course this was the hospital in Seattle so it very likely could have been someone I knew from Forks. The hospital there was often too tiny to care for some things and their patients would be transported here.

I had already seen the medical report from the admitting ER physician, so I had a very good idea of what was going on when I got to the room. I hated walking into a patients’ room without having a clear idea of why they were there. It made me feel like I wasn’t doing my job well enough. And I wanted to do it well; Working as the head pediatrician was an honor, and I loved being able to help children. 

Her nurse, Staci, was already tapping away at the keyboard on the nurse’s cart, so I handed her the file I’d received. Beside the bed, I saw her mother, Angela Weber. And then it clicked. I had known Angela pretty well in high school. She had been one of Bella’s more…stable friends. And apparently, she was married now; Good to know.

Mother and child were a sight to behold. Angela seemed beside herself with worry, and the baby looked simultaneously terrified and ready to drop kick someone. I smiled in greeting as I squat down next to the bed.

“Hi Faith. I’m Emmett and I’m going to be taking care of you while you’re here at my healing hotel. I’m so happy to meet you,” I introduced.

“Hi,” she said softly. “I wanna go home.” As she spoke, Staci began checking her temperature and her pulse.

“I’m sure you do, sweetheart, but we’ve got to get you feeling better first. So, can you tell me what happened? Why did you come to my hotel?” Despite having the information from the emergency room staff, I wanted to hear what she had to say. I had always hated watching other pediatricians around me during my residency and fellowship talk about children as if they weren’t there. Faith was definitely here, she was most certainly scared, and speaking _to_ her instead of _about_ her could be the difference between a traumatic experience and successful treatment.

“My kindergarten teacher brought me here ‘cause I couldn’t breathe and I kept coughing and coughing,” she whispered. “And it hurts right here a lot when I cough,” she said pointing to her chest.

“Before you started coughing, was anything else feeling icky? Like your nose, ears, or throat?” I asked, trying to get as much information out of her as I could, as Staci slipped the blood pressure cuff around her arm.

“Yeah and sometimes my nose bleeds and this ear hurts,” she tugged on her left ear, “and my face hurts too. But I just don’t want to cough anymore cuz it hurts the most,” she said matter-of-factly as she reached across to rub a spot on her chest up near her shoulder. “What’s that for?” she asked, gesturing to the cuff that was now around her arm.

“It’s a blood pressure cuff. It’s just going to give your arm a hug. It won’t hurt,” I explained before jumping back into my mild interrogation. “So, Faith, do you know why you started coughing? Were you doing something at school?”

“Nope,” she said, popping the p. Wait, what? Then where had she been?

“They went on a field trip today to the park,” Angela filled in. “Her teacher said it was a little bit smoky out because there had been a fire nearby, but it wasn’t bad and there were no medical concerns in the class to warrant cancelling. Her teacher told me when I got to the hospital that when they got back to the school, she noticed Faith was acting funny, like she couldn’t catch her breath and she was coughing a lot. Her teacher called me from the ambulance to let me know they were taking her.”

“Well that sounds like a poo-y way to end a field trip,” I asked with a mock sulk. Faith pinched up her face in a grimace and nodded.

“Alright girlie, I want to get you feeling better so I’m going to do a quick check up first,” I explained as I stood and removed my stethoscope from around my neck.

“Again?!” she groaned, falling back dramatically into the pillows.

I chuckled. “Yes, ma’am again. It’s my turn.” She was moving with a bit more ease and was dropping her guard which was a good thing. It would make it much easier to care for her. I placed the earpieces in my ears and rubbed the bell against my shirt to warm it up. “Alright my dear, let’s sit you up,” I suggested, grabbing her hands and helping her pull herself up in a sitting position. “Excellent!”

Her heart was normal and healthy. “Hmm, I think I might hear a mouse in your pocket!” I joked, as I moved the stethoscope to the bare skin of her back. That was definitely where the problem was. “Can you take some deep breaths for me? Every time you feel me move the stethoscope,” I explained. Each breath was labored, and she was still wheezing. I knew from her care report that she had already had a treatment downstairs, but we would have to stay on top of that. And she’d probably need some steroids. “I’m going to try not to tickle your arm so I can listen to you from this side,” I explained, moving the stethoscope around to her right side, under her armpit. Definitely worse. “And I know it’s hurting you, but can you give me one big cough please?” She did. And it was rough. “Good girl! You’re doing great.”

I put my stethoscope back around my neck and grabbed the otoscope from the counter. It had a train attached to the top to make it friendlier. “Can you say ahh? The choo choo train needs to come through” I said making train noises. She giggled but opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out, doing exactly as I had asked. It was red from coughing. Her nose was swollen and was crusted with some dry blood and her left ear was suffering some damage. Having completed my own exam, I had no doubt the ER doc was correct in his diagnosis. 

“Good job, Faith. You’re very good at this patient stuff. I’m gonna talk to your mommy for a minute and I will be right back” I said, patting her on the arm before retreating from the bed. I looked over Staci’s shoulder to check her vitals before making my way to Angela. Low oxygen levels and she was dehydrated. There was a lot to work on for this poor girl.

Angela had stood up and walked toward the end of the bed to meet me. As we spoke, Faith settled into the pillows, staring at the TV above us and Staci walked out into the hallway to prepare her IV.

“Angela, how are you?” I asked in greeting.

“I feel like the worst mother ever. She’s had the sore throat, earache, and stuffy nose for a few days, but I just blew it off as a cold. She tends to be a bit overdramatic, makes a paper cut sound like something that needs stitches. So, I didn’t think anything of it.”

“You’re not a horrible mother, accidents happen. The important thing is, she’s here and we’re going to get her back on track.”

“But Em, she was born with a hole in her lung and had asthma as a baby. She was even hospitalized for RSV so I should have known this could have happened. But if she was having trouble breathing, I really didn’t notice that.” It was odd to hear her call me by her nickname she had for me in high school.

“The pneumothorax healed on its own?”

“It did, after a few days in intensive care.”

“She’ll be fine, Ang. She just needs to rehydrate, and she needs some medicine. She’ll see a respiratory therapist every four hours for treatments, we’ll start an IV now to get some fluids in her, and get her on some nasal steroids to clear up the infection. And if I need to help her healing along, I can shoot her up with some prednisone too.”

“Emmett, she’s trypanophobic. She’s not going to cooperate, and I’ve been worried about that since I heard she was coming here.” As if on cue, I heard a shout of “No!” from the bed. Staci had returned to the room and was trying to set up the IV and baby Cheney was not having it.

“I’ll be really quick, baby,” Staci was pleading with her. “And then it will be over.” But to no avail. Faith had curled up her arms against her chest in her best attempt to shield herself. She was crying, but she had no tears. And I was worried if she kept her body folded up like it was at the moment, it would hurt her more.

“She’s always like this,” Angela groaned. “When she went for her Kindergarten check-up, one nurse pinned her down while the other did her vaccines. Every shot visit is a nightmare.”

“Oof!” I grunted. “That’s definitely not going to help her anxiety. Talk with me about that later. I’m going to see what I can do,” I explained, ending the conversation.

I rested a hand on Staci’s shoulder, a silent message to let me try. I had worked with plenty of prideful people, who would get a stick no matter the cost to the patient, but thankfully Staci was not that kind of nurse.

“Alright Miss Faith, I’m going to get you on some medicine so that you’ll start to feel better alright?” I asked, sitting down on a stool next to her bed where I could easily reach her tiny hand. I figured if I was not towering over her, this might not be as scary for her. She eyed the metal tray table that was next to me holding the supplies and shook her head fiercely. “You’re feeling scared, and that’s okay. I’m gonna make this as easy and unscary as I can.” Again, she shook her head no.

I pulled a pair of gloves out of the box on the wall and slipped them on my hands. “Have you ever had an IV, my dear?” I asked. She shook her head. “Have you ever had a shot?” This time she nodded.

I held my hands out flat so she could see I wasn’t holding anything. “Can you hold my hand for a second? I don’t have any pokies right now.” Hesitantly, she offered me her hand. “When you get a shot, the medicine goes through a needle into your muscle, so that’s why you get them in your thigh or your arm. That’s where your big strong muscles are, right?” She nodded her agreement. “An IV is going to be a little different. Do you see this little bumpy line on your hand?” I asked, tracing over it with a finger.

“Uh huh.”

“So that line is something called a vein. And I’m going to put a teeny tiny tube inside that vein to give you medicine.” She shook her head no again. Being scared of needles was common but knowing her history, I’d have to tread lightly.

“Tell ya, what? Before I do the owie, I’ll put some lotion on your hand to numb it, so it won’t hurt so much. And it is something we have to do, but I’ll let you choose if you want to have it in your right hand or your left.” I had learned from my brother in law that offering choices helped the child to feel less powerless. And I used the trick often.

“Lotion please,” she mumbled, crying dry tears.

I stood up long enough to grab a condiment-sized packet of topical lidocaine from the supply cabinet and sat back down. “Which hand should I work on?” I asked again. Cautiously, she offered me the hand closest to her. “Good girl,” I encouraged. “Let’s get some lotion on.” I tore open the packet and squeezed the cream onto her hand in the shape of a smiley face. “A smile for you,” I said, before rubbing it in. She giggled. Progress.

“Hey Faith, can I tell you a secret?” I asked, peeling my used gloves off and disposing them. Talking to her would give the lidocaine some time to work its magic.

“I guess,” she said, softly, barely audible.

“Well,” I said, “You have to promise not to tell _anybody_.”

“Ok I promise,” she whispered.

“I have this teddy bear and it’s really special to me. But I don’t have a name for it. So right now, I’m just calling him Emmett Junior because he is awesome like me.” She giggled, which was a good thing. That meant she was relaxing which is what I wanted. Although I hated doing it, I couldn’t keep from tying a child down if they needed something and they wouldn’t let me give it to them. But knowing Faith’s history with sharp objects, I didn’t want to have to go there with her.

“Anyway, Emmett Junior is hiding in my office and none of the other doctors and nurses know about him. He helps me take care of my patients. Emmett Junior would love to have a friend like you, Faith.” As I talked with her, I began putting on a new pair of gloves, being careful not to draw attention to what I was doing. Keep the distraction going.

She giggled again. “You don’t have a teddy bear,” she smiled.

The lidocaine should have had enough time to set in, so it was time to get down to business. I took an alcohol wipe and wiped the top of her hand with it gently and slowly, making sure not to startle her with any sudden moves. “Are you sure about that? Have you ever seen Emmett Junior? I think he would be very offended if he knew you thought he didn’t exist.” She continued giggling at me. “Maybe you’ll believe me if you get to meet Emmett Junior. Then you can help me give him a real name too. You never know; he might like you. He might want to go home with you.”

“But isn’t he your teddy bear?” she asked.

“Yeah, he is. But he loves helping people feel better almost as much as I do. So if he helped you get better, it would be worth giving him up.” In all honesty, I kept a stash of teddy bears, lovingly made by my mother Esme, for all my patients who had a fear of the hospital. Having a bear generally made their hospital visit a lot easier for them.

“Aww ok. I like teddy bears.” She said.

I knew which vein I was going for. “Ok then, I’ll have to bring Emmett Junior by later. I’m pretty sure he would love to meet you.” As the conversation ended, I made quick work of slipping the needle into her hand, thankfully succeeding in one stick. Whether from pain or just from anxiety of the situation, once she realized what I had done, she started crying and tugging at the tubing, trying to pull the IV out. I gently pressed my hand on top of hers and then handed her a tissue. I’d done my job the fun way. Now it was time to be serious.

“I’m sorry Faith. I know it hurts, but you have to keep it in. If you pull it out, I’ll have to poke you again. It should stop hurting soon and you will barely know it’s there.” I grabbed a board to tape under her wrist so the IV wouldn’t fall out from movement. Then I taped a hood over it. Once I was sure it was secure, I wrapped the rest of her hand with some gauze.

“You’re mean,” she said softly, through her tears. “You tricked me.” Of course, I didn’t want her to think I was mean. But that was the hard part about pediatrics. It was much harder for littles to understand how something that hurts could ultimately help. But if someone thought I was mean, I just had to work my hardest to convince them otherwise. I was used to it. And the kids who thought of me as mean or scary were usually the ones who grew attached to me the most. But to make anyone think I was mean was still hard.

“I’m sorry I hurt your heart, Faith. But I really do have a bear that needs a name. I’m not lying to you, I pinky promise. And I would never hurt you without having a very good reason to do so.” 

“Why? I don’t know how there is ever a good reason to hurt me with needles. How can something that hurts be good for me?”

I stood up to throw my trash away and take my gloves off while I talked. “Faith, it may not seem like this is going to help you. It may only seem like it’s going to hurt and that’s all. But it is to help you get better. It will help you get out of the hospital faster. I am very happy that I have had the chance to meet you but I want you healthy again as soon as possible. I don’t want to be mean, but I do want you healthy again.”

“It doesn’t help. You didn’t tell me why so that means it doesn’t.” Was she really Angela’s child? She had way more sass than her mother ever had.

I sat back down on the stool, so I could answer her question at her level. “When you get shots from your doctor and you don’t feel sick, those are called vaccines, and they keep you from getting really yucky sickies. Sometimes, shots give your body medicine to help you get better faster if you are already sick. And this IV will help you get better too. It’s like a shot, only it stays in your vein instead of going into your muscle and it gives you the medicine slowly over time rather than all at once.”

“Will you have to do it again?” she asked with great trepidation. I couldn’t tell if she was still mad at me or not but it didn’t seem like it.

I sighed. I didn’t want to scare her more but I wouldn’t lie to her either. “As long as you don’t take this one out, I won’t have to start another IV, no. But depending on how your test results are when they come back, I may have to give you a shot.”

She whimpered. “Ok. But only if you give it to me. No one else can.” I was surprised at her change in mood, but I was satisfied. She was scared but she wouldn’t try to fight me.

“I pinky promise,” I agreed, offering my smallest finger. She took it in hers. “I thought you were mad at me?” I asked.

“No, I guess not. I still don’t want pokes! But you were nice, and you tried to not make it hurt. I like you Dr. Emmett, you’re the nicest doctor in the whole wide world.”

I smiled. “For now, try to get some rest Faith. Someone will come by with a mask again in a few hours for you to breath. And I’ll be back in a little while to check on you. Feel better.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm adding a few new tags. Angela's daughter says a word that may seem inappropriate here, so be warned. But yeah, this was fun to write. I wish Emmett was my doctor :P
> 
> Kudos + Comments = Love

Faith had been in the hospital for a little over 48 hours now and Emmett had assured me that as long as my daughter was still showing signs of improvement, she would be discharged today. I was keeping my hopes up because now that she was starting to feel better, Faith was getting cranky.

Yesterday, after getting the results back from the Pulmonary Function Test that had been ordered in the Emergency Room, Dr. Emmett, as he called himself, was able to confirm that Faith definitely had asthma and it would have to be treated and monitored effectively. So unfortunately for Faith, that meant getting a shot. But Emmett kept his promise by administering the steroid injection himself, rather than having a nurse do it. He had clearly done this before. One of the best things about Emmett was his interaction with the children. Before he even acknowledged my presence, he had already told Faith what was going to happen and what to expect. He was friendly and sympathetic to her anxiety, but still firm in explaining to her why she needed it and what would happen if she tried too hard to fight him.

He had asked me to sit on the bed with Faith stomach down across my lap, so he could give the methylprednisolone shot in her bottom. I had needed to hold her feet down to keep her from kicking him, and there had been plenty of tears, but thankfully, not only was Emmett great with talking to her as a person, he was also wonderful with distractions. But once all was said and done, we were assured that it would be the last needle prick she would have to endure during her stay. I was just as relieved.

Since being admitted, Faith was continuing to sputter her way through twice daily doses of oral prednisone, but she was definitely improving, and Dr. McCarty had already written and had a prescription filled for a daily inhaler. I would have to make an appointment with her pediatrician once we finally got out of here to follow up on everything that had happened.

I heard a rap on the door, followed by the semi-boisterous voice of Emmett McCarty. “Hello, my favorite little fruit of the spirit,” he said as he walked in to the room. He had called Faith a different name just about every time he came to see her, include Hope, Love, Peace, Joy, Patience and now, fruit of the spirit. I was honestly shocked to hear Emmett making a religious reference, but I supposed his father’s influence must have rubbed off somewhat. And it was definitely a corny joke, but it made Faith giggle, so I guess that’s all that mattered in the end. He held a small bear wearing a tutu out in front of him. “As promised, I have brought you Emmett Junior. It is time to sign the adoption papers.”

Faith gave him a funny look. “But Dr. Emmett, boys don’t wear tutus!” she exclaimed.

“Really?” He asked, faking shock. “They don’t? But why not?”

“No, silly,” she said in a giggle. “Girls wear tutus. Boys don’t wear pants in ballet. You can see their penis.”

I died a little inside and Emmett laughed out loud. “She was a snowflake in a professional production of the Nutcracker last Christmas. She met some professional dancers,” I explained, hoping to make the comment sound less awkward.

“Well then, if you insist, I guess it’s only appropriate that you rename her with a girl’s name,” he smirked, offering the bear to her. “What do you think? What is Emmett Junior’s new name going to be?” he asked as he pulled the stool up to the side of Faith’s bed and sat down.

“I’m gonna name her Nina. Like Nina, Nina Ballerina!” she answered. That’s my favorite story. ‘Cuz I’m a ballerina too and I broke my arm just like Nina.”

“I think that’s a perfect name and I know you’re going to take great care of her! Now first thing’s first, let’s get rid of this icky thing,” he said, gesturing to her IV.

“Will it hurt?” she whimpered.

“If it does, it will just be a little bit,” he answered, pulling on a pair of exam gloves. “Maybe a little bit like pulling out a splinter or getting a papercut.”

“Will I get a bandaid?”

“Of course! I’ll even let you pick out the design because you’ve been such a brave patient.” He gently removed the medical tape, the plastic guard, and the board from her hand while he spoke to her. Then he picked up a piece of gauze. “Alright, now this is the part that might be a little scary, so I need you to close your eyes and count to five for me, okay?”

Faith squinted her eyes closed. “Onetwothreefourfive,” she rushed, mumbling the numbers together into one long word. Despite the hurried counting though, Emmett was able to slip the IV out and cover the spot with gauze before she finished.

“All done!” he exclaimed, disposing of the used IV supplies. “Now I have princess bandaids, superhero bandaids, and puppy bandaids, which would your heart most desire?”

“Princesses!” Faith almost shouted in excitement. He removed the gauze and covered the tiny hole with a bandage before discarding the rest of the trash. “Look mommy! I gotta bandaid!” she exclaimed, holding out her hand for me to see. The face of Cinderella smiled back at me from Faith’s hand.

“I see! I’m proud of you for being brave, my love,” I told her.

“Alright,” Emmett said, resuming his seat on the stool after placing some additional packages and boxes on the counter behind him. “Before I discharge you, I have to teach you how to breathe.” He picked up a small box from the counter behind him and opened it, pulling out its contents for Faith to see. “Do you know what this is?” he asked, handing it to her.

She shook her head no. “This is called an inhaler,” he explained. “This inhaler has a special kind of medicine in it called albuterol. It’s like the medicine we’ve been giving you with the fish mask, but this one is made to use in emergencies.” She nodded her understanding. “Okay? So, the first thing I need you to do is shake it up, for me.” Faith shook up the inhaler, as requested. “Awesome! So next, I need you to take the lid off and I can hold the cap for you.” With a little bit of a struggle, she managed to wiggle the cap off it and dropped it in his outstretched hand. “Perfect. Now I want you to push down on the top.” She did as she was told, and a small white puff came of the mouth piece.

“Woah! Look at that!” She said, excitedly. He nodded at her.

“Do that one more time,” he said watching her puff the inhaler again. “Awesome. Now we’re going to puff the inhaler in to your mouth. But when you do, you have to breathe in deep and quick. Like this,” he said, taking in a quick, deep breath to model for her. “Do you think you can do that?”

Hesitantly, she put the mouth piece in her mouth. “Make sure your lips are closed around it,” he said. She pressed down on the top and inhaled but she didn’t have the speed that would be necessary for inhaling the medication.

“Alright that’s not going to work,” he said, reaching out his hand to take the inhaler back. “But that’s okay, I expected that.” He picked up a sealed plastic bag from the counter behind him and ripped it open. He pulled from it a tube made of thick plastic, with a capped mouthpiece on one end and a rubber attachment with a hole in it on the other end. A second plastic bag was tugged open to reveal a small mask, much like the fish mask she had used in the hospital. He popped the inhaler into the hole of the tube and the mask on to the mouthpiece. “Now this, is called a spacer,” he said, gesturing to the tube. This time, after you press down on the top of the inhaler, you’re going to breathe in the mask really slow.”

Faith struggled a bit to balance the spacer in one hand, the inhaler in the other, while holding it up against her face, but after a moment or two, she figured it out. She pressed down on the canister and I saw the tube fill with the puff of air. She slowly took in a deep breath while Emmett watched. “Awesome little lady. You’ve got this! And I think that means you get to go home!”

“Yay!” she cheered, her face lighting up.

“Now, you need to keep this in your backpack or in your teacher’s classroom, so you have it whenever you need it. I would also recommend that your mommy keep an extra one in her purse, just so you always have one around. And whenever you’re coughing and it hurts or whenever you feel pressure on your chest, like maybe it feels like there’s a panda sitting on you, you should use it okay?” Faith nodded.

He looked back up at me. “And if you ever have significant trouble, give me a call or come see me.”

“Will there be owies?” Faith asked, bringing his attention back to her.

“If you follow my rules and get help when you need it, we’ll try to avoid them unless we have an emergency. Sound good?”

She nodded. “Alright little miss, then as soon as Ms Staci gets your homework printed out and mommy signs it, you’re free to go. Be good and take care, sweetie.” He stood from his stool for the last time and waved good-bye before coming to shake my hand and slipping me a business card with his cell number on the back. I definitely wanted to send him a thank-you-for-being-amazing text once we were home and settled.

As if on cue, Staci came in with her cart and a folder full of papers. “Alright, baby girl, let’s get you headed home,” she smiled at Faith. After the discharge papers were signed, Staci helped me get Faith out of bed and dressed to go. We had acquired quite a few belongings, either purchased from the dollar store nearby, or brought in by Ben that now needed to be packed up to go home. And despite being six, Faith wanted to be carried, so with my daughter propped on one hip and my duffle bag over my opposite shoulder, we made our way out of the hospital room we had occupied for the past 2 days, with a thanks to Staci.

“Mommy, I wanna draw Ms Staci and Dr. Emmett a picture,” she told me as I walked down the hall.

“I think that’s a great idea, baby. We can send them as a thank you card. We can work on it when we get home, okay?”

As we headed out past the nurses’ station, Faith spotted Emmett standing at the counter in discussion with one of the nurses. “Bye little lady,” he called to her.

“Wait mommy, I gotta say good bye!” she said, squirming for me to put her down. She ran the short distance down the hall and jumped into his arms. He picked her up and gave her a big hug against his chest. “Thank you, Dr. Emmett,” I heard her whisper. “I love you!”

While Faith may not have noticed, I certainly saw Emmett’s face light up in a huge grin. “I love you too, Faith. Take care.” 


End file.
